I've noticed recently that in colloquial English, people commonly end
their sentences with “so…”. I do it to. I think it’s yet another lazy
vocal filler such as “like” or “um”.
“So” is a connector used to show causal relation ship: A so B means because A is true, then B must also true. It’s as if the speaker pauses to gather his thoughts for the conclusion (B) but either feels like the listener already understands what B is (perhaps the conversation started with a question, “Why B?”). Or maybe the speaker is unsure of the listener’s agreement with A and is opening up a gap for counterpoint. Or perhaps the speaker didn’t have a particular B in mind and when thinking about it, nothing springs to mind.
If you listen for it, it’s quite amazing how often this occurs. At least for me; maybe it’s a regional or socio-economic pattern that doesn’t show up elsewhere. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
“So” is a connector used to show causal relation ship: A so B means because A is true, then B must also true. It’s as if the speaker pauses to gather his thoughts for the conclusion (B) but either feels like the listener already understands what B is (perhaps the conversation started with a question, “Why B?”). Or maybe the speaker is unsure of the listener’s agreement with A and is opening up a gap for counterpoint. Or perhaps the speaker didn’t have a particular B in mind and when thinking about it, nothing springs to mind.
If you listen for it, it’s quite amazing how often this occurs. At least for me; maybe it’s a regional or socio-economic pattern that doesn’t show up elsewhere. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
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